I woke up early that morning to check on Eugene. I climbed into his bed and hovered over his face "Eugene" I whispered "Eugene, rise and shine!"
He opened his eyes slowly and I smiled "How are you feeling?"
He held his head in sudden pain. I could imagine he had a bad headache after last night. Not that I ever had a hangover before.
"Been Better." He sat up, running his hand through his hair "Uhh, listen, about last night..."
"You freaked out. What happened?"
"That woman wouldn't shut up. I don't know… I just lost it. I'm sorry but I don't like your relatives very much."
"Well, that's okay… they don't like you very much either."
He chuckled "Was she being serious? About the whole getting married thing?"
"I already discussed it with Mother and she says I can marry whoever, whenever I choose. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah. That is great. Now we can…" He trailed off.
My eyes widened "We can what?"
"Nothing."
"You were going to say something." I demanded
"I was just going to say we can, you know, just enjoy being together. There's no pressure now."
I looked down "Oh… but eventually I'm going to need a husband. Could we get married one day?"
His face softened a little "Course, Punzie. But I think right now, I need to get through this week. And what about our trip? Will that be before or after the wedding?"
I grinned "Well I think that's up to you! You're the one who needs to propose."
He smirked. "Oh that's right."
"What a relief. I thought you hated the idea." I admitted
"What made you think that?"
"Because of what you said last night! I mean, if you don't want to marry me, it's okay. Just say so."
"Rapunzel! I want to marry you! You're the only girl I would ever want to marry. I just don't want to rush anything."
My shoulders relaxed "Okay, Eugene."
"So we're good then? No rush?"
"No rush. I can wait… Um, how long exactly?"
"Can't say. Don't you want to be surprised?"
"That's true!" I gave him a quick kiss then sprung out of bed "I have my first lesson this morning! So get dressed! It's a new day, let's make it a good one."
I skipped down the hall, on my way to get some breakfast, when I noticed Diana outside the castle. She was staring at someone loading hay onto a wagon. I went outside and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped a little. "Oh! Rapunzel, you startled me." She cleared her throat "Last night was… a lot of fun. The most fun I've had in a long time."
"Who were you staring at?"
She blushed. "No one."
"Is that… Ben?" I asked, trying to look past her. It was him! She was staring at Ben! That's when I got an idea. My mater plan, you could say. I could tell Diana didn't want to get married. Her only reason was to make her mother happy. She just never said anything because she didn't know any better. She didn't know what it was like to be truly in love. That's why she needed to meet Ben. This was her chance to really fall in love. They were perfect for each other.
"He's really nice. You should meet him!"
"No, Rapunzel, please don't!" she hissed but it was too late. I had already called him over.
Ben approached us and Diana suddenly looked nervous.
"Hey Ben! I'd like you to meet my cousin, Diana!"
"Benjamin Cooper" He introduced himself "Nice to meet you, miss."
Diana curtsied. "Pleasure." I rolled my eyes.
There was a moment of awkward silence. My eyes shifted back and forth, hoping one of them would say something, but they stayed quiet. I finally spoke up "We were just talking about you, actually! Diana wants to go horseback riding. Could you teach her?"
"Uh, Sure." He pointed his thumb at the wagon. "I'm just finishing up. Be right back."
Diana looked mad, "Why did you do that? I hate horses!"
"No you don't. It'll be fun, trust me! Oh wait… I completely forgot. I have a lesson with your mother. I guess you'll just have to go without me."
"Rapunzel! You can't leave me alone in this!" she cried.
I noticed Eugene walking towards us, buttoning up his vest. I smirked "Eugene will go with you! The horses love him." Eugene made a face and turned around but I pulled him back "Eugene? Honey? Ben's taking Diana horseback riding and she wants someone to go with her. I can't go because I have my first lesson. So I was hoping…"
He groaned "Oh, c'mon." I gave him a certain look that said 'do this for me or else'. He sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay, fine."
"Great!"
Ben came back, ready to go. Diana looked unsure but I gave her a little push to follow him. Eugene arched an eyebrow at me, wondering what I was up to. I shrugged with an innocent smile. I'd explain to him later. I needed to get going because my lesson was about to start!
Cecelia was happy to see me on time. She got started right away and went over all the basics. She made it clear that some major changes would have to be made to my behavior. She said no skipping or running in the castle. Never slouch or hunch while walking. You must keep your spine straight. She also said I have to stop talking nonsense all the time and only speak when necessary. She said I should keep my thoughts to myself.
She went over other things too, like manners. She showed me how to curtsy which you're supposed to do when you greet someone. I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. All these rules seemed like a lot to remember. To end the lesson, she gave me a stack of books to read during my free time. She said that they would help me better understand how to talk and act like a princess and the responsibilities it comes with.
I carried the books to my room and placed them on my desk. Someone knocked on my door and entered. "Uh, hey, how did the lesson go?" Eugene asked
"Fine. Nothing went wrong, at least." I answered simply
"Good to hear! Hey, listen, don't freak out but your cousin got into a little accident."
I gasped. "What happened?"
"She's fine!" he assured me "She just fell off her horse…"
"WHAT?" I dashed out of my room and ran straight for the stables. Diana was sitting on a wagon while Ben carefully wrapped a bandage around her knee. Neither of them noticed me. I blinked, a smile spreading across my face. They were already bonding! But then, Cecelia just had to come and ruin the moment!
"What happened?" she demanded
"Mother!" Diana gasped. She hopped off the wagon and quickly pulled down her dress. "I- I fell. Something spooked my horse."
Eugene appeared by my side. I gave him a look that said 'uh oh'.
Cecelia sighed "Why were you on a horse in the first place?" She turned to me "Rapunzel, did you know about this?"
I smiled nervously "Well, actually, it was kind of my idea."
She huffed "I should have known."
"I thought she would have fun!"
She turned her attention towards Ben, narrowing her eyes. He took off his straw hat and combed his hair with his fingers, trying to look a little more presentable.
"Who are you?" She finally asked.
He hesitated so I decided to answer for him. "That's Ben! He works here."
"I see. Then I suggest you get back to work."
"Yes, ma'am." He picked up a bucket of dirty water and walked away.
Cecelia took Diana's arm and walked off. I let out a sigh. "That did not go the way I hoped."
"And what way would that be?" Eugene asked
"Promise not to laugh?" Eugene smiled playfully and nodded.
"I have a plan. Maybe it's crazy but I think it just might work! Diana's being forced into a marriage and she's just going along with it! My plan is to show her what it's like to really fall in love. Ben's her perfect match! And by the looks of it, I think they already like each other."
Eugene chuckled. I put my hands on my hips. "You promised!"
He grinned "I'm sorry. You're just cute. Hey, if this works out you could start your own match making service."
"I'm serious, Eugene. Diana needs my help."
His face got serious "Okay, Punzie. I could talk to Ben if you want. The kid could use a few tips."
I smiled and rolled my eyes "Just not the smolder. It doesn't work. We see right through it."
Eugene smirked "I beg to differ."
A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! Don't forget to leave a review, good or bad, I don't mind! I have a lot in store for this story but if you have any ideas, please leave some! I love getting suggestions!